How I Went Viral: The Wild Story of How My Photos Were Featured on Jimmy Fallon & in People Magazine
Any couple will tell you that wedding planning doesn’t always go smoothly. Minor hiccups and bumps in the road happen to almost all couples (even me! Read my post about my own wedding photographer story here). But few couples have been through it the way Christine and Gannon have over these last few years.
I was lucky enough to shoot Christine and Gannon’s engagement session in spring 2020 (and they were sooo sweet and wonderful during their session – check it out on the blog here!). They had planned on a fall 2020 wedding at The Victorian in Youngsville, but like so many other 2020 couples, made the agonizing decision to postpone a year.
September 2021 came at long last, and just one week before their wedding…Christine tested positive for COVID-19, forcing them to reschedule a second time.
The whole vendor team (I’ll link them all below), including team at The Victorian, were amazing about finding a new date and helping Christine and Gannon reschedule to November 2021. Plans were made – the third time’s the charm, and we would finally be able to celebrate Christine & Gannon’s amazing love! Being a wedding photographer means rolling with the punches and always being flexible for my couples!
As the pandemic has shown us the last few years, we can only plan so much. Gannon woke up feeling ill on the wedding day, and just a few hours before the ceremony, had to be admitted to the hospital. Thankfully he was ok!
We started taking photos and hoping Gannon could get some fluids and make it back for a quick ceremony, but unfortunately we all know hospital visits can take forever. With guests and vendors already arriving, the couple made the decision to make the most of it: that’s where Stick Gannon comes in.
Brian, one of The Victorian owners, came up with the idea, and a legend was born: we used a rolling steamer, some pool cues, some tape, a suit jacket and an iPad, and soon we had our own version of Gannon! Stick Gannon was a runaway hit with the guests, and provided some much needed chuckles for Christine and all of the guests. Check out Stick Gannon’s awesome dance moves!
Thankfully Gannon was released from the hospital and was able to put in a brief appearance at the reception. I wanted to do something special for this sweet couple who had been through SO much, so we found a new time a few weeks later to take wedding portraits at The Victorian. Christine got to wear her gorgeous dress again, and we were able to capture some memories with the Real Gannon!
That’s when things got REALLY crazy. The Victorian made a TikTok video about the day, and it went super viral – the story made it onto The Today Show, People Magazine, and freaking JIMMY FALLON! Y’all, when I tell you my inbox and Instagram notifications were BLOWING UP, I mean it!
While I have to admit that it was super cool to see my photos in all these awesome shows and publications, the best part was knowing that we had made the most of a difficult situation and helped Christine and Gannon have a great wedding filled with fun, fond, and FUNNY memories!
So, if you’re looking for a wedding photographer that can handle literally anything and always keep hyping you up and cheering you on no matter how crazy your wedding gets, I’m your girl!
Vendor Team:
Photographer: Bri Hines Photography
Venue: The Victorian Youngsville
Day of Coordinator: The Victorian Youngsville
Caterer: Cannon Catering
Dress: Carolina Bridal World
Hair: Wedding Hair by Liz
Makeup: Theresa Burden
Cake: Bestowed Baked Goods
Florist: Fallon’s Flowers
Rentals: CE Rental Raleigh
Media Outlets:
